People gather at the base of the Victims of Communism Memorial during a candlelight vigil to mark the 35th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square, Tuesday, June 3, 2024, in Washington. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
The Tuesday commemorations, which included former student leaders of the Tiananmen movement and younger activists from mainland China and Hong Kong, come as Washington has shifted its China policy from engagement to competition meant to curb China’s growing influences, which the U.S. sees as potentially upsetting the world order. The two countries also are clashing over Beijing’s militarization of the South China Sea and its increasing military threats against the self-governed island of Taiwan.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, a former House speaker and a longtime supporter of China’s pro-democracy movement, said Tuesday that Beijing has failed to progress democratically. Zhou Fengsuo, a former student leader, said the Tiananmen crackdown is once again resonating today, for those who are seeing the danger of the Communist Party.